


Of citrus and turpentine (Joygi)

by Dreamofshadows



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Art student Kang Seulgi, Clueless Kang Seulgi, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23285788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamofshadows/pseuds/Dreamofshadows
Summary: Seulgi's such a fixer-upper, who would have thought she'd have Joy whipped for her like that?[cross-posted from Wattpad]
Relationships: Kang Seulgi/Park Sooyoung | Joy, Park Sooyoung | Joy/Yook Sungjae
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	Of citrus and turpentine (Joygi)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [samosluts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/samosluts/gifts).



> Inspired by a clip of Joy with her dog Haetnim and because chaesoos was thirsting for Joygi (the description is hers too.)
> 
> And I was very much procrastinating on life.

It had been officially fourteen hours, thirty five minutes and twenty-two seconds since Kang Seulgi last kissed her girlfriend, and it showed.

"For god's sake Kang, lay off the tissue!"

Seulgi blinked and returned to the present to find the nibbled, lipstick stained paper napkin grasped tightly in her hand. She had been absent-mindedly chewing on it in the middle of the cafeteria where the group had congregated.

"Someone lost their hamster," Wendy drawled as she twirled noodles on a fork.

"Specifically Joy," Yeri giggled.

"It's a big, clumsy ass hamster too," Irene fussed as she took the nibbled napkin and snapped her fingers in front of Seulgi's startled face. "Snap out of it, can't you go for a few hours without pining for her like a puppy?"

"You really want her to answer that?" someone said and they all laughed.

But Seulgi wasn't hearing; already, she was daydreaming of Sooyoung, her girl with the killer model look that had the student community at large drooling at the sight of her. But Sooyoung wasn't merely all looks; it was quite unfair that she also possessed the brains to complete the jackpot and make her even more desirable in Seulgi's eyes.

After all, they do say that smart is the new sexy. And not only did Sooyoung embody that concept but Seulgi was convinced that her girlfriend's picture should be included with the dictionary defintion of 'smexy'.

Sooyoung, or Joy as she was affectionately called by their friends owing to her joie de vivre, was set to be the youngest business graduate of her year, since she had skipped ahead several years owing to her admirable drive and advanced intelligence and knowledge. To say Seulgi was proud would be a gross understatement: when Joy confided the news, Seulgi was so enraptured that she had stood up too quickly and through some bizarre chain reaction nearly ended up tumbling over her balcony where they had been having a romantic candlelit dinner date.

It was really a mystery to their friends at large how two such unlikely people ever got together, but once they delved deeper, everyone came to the same conclusion: there really is no one better suited for Seulgi and Joy, except themselves.

Where Joy was outgoing and popular, Seulgi tended to be quieter; where Joy liked to talk and talk, Seulgi liked to daydream; where Joy was the life of a party, Seulgi could usually be found painting within the sanctuary of her one room apartment that doubled as her studio; where Seulgi's adventures with cooking nearly cost her a hand and her entire life's insurance, Joy could have considered culinary school as her Plan B career.

Nonetheless, the two girls complemented each other, their influence rubbing off and bettering them, molding them into more rounded versions of themselves.

Joy learned to listen and empathise more; Seulgi learned to let loose. Joy started to appreciate the vast complexity of art and artists throughout the ages; Seulgi grew more aware of the intricacies of business microcosms and how they functioned. Joy grew to appreciate the effort in fixing and mending something instead of replacing it straight away; Seulgi learned how to make a sandwich without slicing her finger off.

>>>>>>

In the beginning, there were Seulgi and Irene.

They went way back since nappy days and Seulgi still had an endearing habit of calling Irene jagi, because they had even gotten fake married in elementary school. Wendy had been their officiating minister as well as their divorce coordinator. Yeri was a snivelling kid they picked up after all three girls beat up the bullies that tormented her and from then on, Yeri became a part of their group, following Irene around with heart eyes.

Sooyoung finally joined their group during high school days. This preppy, gangly girl walked into class with a beaming smile that showed off her braces and she also walked right into Seulgi's heart. The day Sooyoung hesitantly sat next to her in the school cafeteria and after flashing her that dazzling smile and complimenting her drawing, Seulgi knew.

Like Cupid shot an arrow and illuminated her with crisp clarity, she knew that this girl would be a very very very special girl indeed.

Turbulent teenage times followed; you cannot have a rainbow without rain first, and so the story of Seulgi and Sooyoung had its requisite share of angst, heartbreak, experimentation and first times.

Coming out wasn't as smooth sailing as Seulgi had dared to hope: her parents didn't take it well at all.

Many tears later with disgusting insults still ringing in her ears, Seulgi ended up looking around her room for the last time before packing her belongings and toddling off like a small kid to her grandmother's house, her last resort.

Thankfully, her grandmother was a far kindlier soul who welcomed Seulgi with open arms and let her stay for as long as she needed to until she went to college. Even during those difficult times, Joy had been there for her friend, readily offering to let Seulgi live with her because her parents had taken a far warmer approach to their daughter's coming out.

Although they were close friends, for some reason both struck out on different paths that diverged away from their common quest for love and acceptance. They sought out different people in order to quench the thirst in their hearts, searching along with their three other friends for that fabled deeper connection.

Sooyoung even dated a boy for such a long time that the fragment of hope within Seulgi all but shrivelled up and died.

But Fate smiled upon them and saved Seulgi with the timely intervention of one Park Chaeyoung, a friend of Sooyoung's who one night called Seulgi, asking her to pick up a drunk Sooyoung from the bar.

"Is she okay? Is she alright?" Seulgi said worriedly as she jumped out of bed and threw on the first pieces of clothes she grabbed from the dresser, not caring if they were dirty. She pressed the phone between her ear and shoulder as she dressed. "Don't let her out of your sight! God if someone touches her I'll kill them—"

"She's okay, just very drunk and—" Chaeyoung was cut off as she seemed to struggle with the inebriated girl next to her. "Joy hang on, Seulgi's coming for you. Joy no! Bad Joy! Bad Joy! Don't touch! Look, talk to Seulgi."

"Seulgi?"

Seulgi's heart stopped then started beating madly again at the sweet lilting voice saying her name so deliciously, almost making her forget the situation.

"I'm coming for you, just hang in there, I'm coming," she reassured the girl on the line.

"You'll come for me?" Joy's voice sounded so broken it made Seulgi's heart clench in pain. I miss you....

"Me too, me too. I'm coming," Seulgi gabbled, fumbling for her keys and cursing as she stumbled around the darkened room. "Just hold tight for me okay?"

"Okay...don't be long..." Sooyoung said tearfully.

Seulgi rushed out to her car, inwardly wondering why Joy was out drinking at such a late hour. She clutched the steering wheel tightly, vowing to get to the bottom of the matter—whoever made Joy cry was going to pay.

The truth came out as Seulgi lugged a sleepy, worn out Sooyoung into her modest dorm.

"I broke up with Sungjae."

Seulgi didn't know how to react to such a statement.

She was twenty, with only three other dating experiences to go by, and in each situation she had been the one dumped. There was also the small matter of feeling elated that her rival for Joy's affections had vanished but that was incredibly selfish to think about right now.

"Oh...okay."

Sooyoung didn't add anything else. Her eyes were fluttering tiredly and Seulgi decided her questions could wait. She helped wipe her friend's make up off and turned back the covers of her bed. When she tucked in Joy, she glanced down to see the angel of her dreams staring up at her with a frown on her pretty face that Seulgi had the sudden urge to kiss away.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to cuddle with me?" Joy pouted and Seulgi's heart lurched. How could she say no to such an adorable pout?

So she quickly shimmied into her pyjamas, gave her teeth a quick brush just in case and slipped in behind Joy, uncertain what to do with her arms. Joy solved to the problem for her by reaching out and and tugging Seulgi's arms forward, pulling Seulgi right up behind her.

"Cuddle with me." Joy's plea landed softly on Seulgi's ears like a prayer and Seulgi obliged, holding the girl and snuggling up close enough to breathe in Joy's citrus scent that reminded her of fall and cosy sleepovers. Her chest was pressed flush against Joy's back, her heart almost galloping out of her rib cage. But she wasn't the only one affected by their positions: Seulgi fancied that Joy's heart was bounding along quite harmoniously with her own.

"Good night Sooyoung."

Seulgi closed her eyes and pressed a light kiss to Joy's nape. She couldn't help it, the sliver of creamy skin was right there under her nose and besides, friends kissed friends all the time, right?

"Right," her friends told her later in the morning during study hall. Their faces were so sceptical that Seulgi, usually the textbook definition of clueless, just had to ask.

"What? Jagi, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Do you know why she broke up with Sungjae, Kang?" Despite having once been her fake spouse (for no less than three weeks), Irene rarely ever called her by name. "Has all the solvents and chemicals that you play around with all day messed with your head?"

"For an arts major, you're really so clueless about romance, Kang," Yeri winked. "Isn't art all about romance and passion and sensations and lust and love?"

The maknae had grown well, blossoming into a sassy strong woman that faithfully followed in Irene's footsteps when it came to roasting Seulgi. "Did you two even talk at all about why she broke up with him?"

"No. She woke up, I made breakfast while she cleaned up then we ate and she thanked me and left." Truthfully, Seulgi was frustrated that everything went so smoothly. There was no awkward empty space in between their small talk, there was no awkward tension in the air, there was no awkward static when they hugged and kissed each other on the cheek before parting.

"So domestic..." Wendy muttered.

"Kang knows how to cook? Last time she made me pancakes I thought she was trying to kill me."

"Joy helped," Seulgi said. She didn't mention that Joy had also back hugged her the entire time she was mixing the batter, making it difficult to concentrate when the girl she daydreamed about oh so many times was holding her the way Seulgi always envisioned.

"You're blushing, that's not only what happened," Wendy accused. She had always been the sharp one that however, kept silent and rarely meddled in people's business. "What did Joy do?"

"She kinda...back-hugged me....but she was probably feeling sad and needed some attention!" Seulgi insisted, avoiding her friends' disbelieving expressions.

Deep down in her heart, she had been thrilled with the gesture but another part of Seulgi was cautious. Just because Joy back-hugged her meant nothing.

Joy was fresh out of a relationship; sure she had dated girls but she had never showed any inclination of desire towards Seulgi as far as the latter was concerned. And Seulgi was also hesitant of being a rebound choice as well, not to mention that her experience with dating always left a sour taste in her mouth.

Seulgi was afraid.

She had admired Sooyoung from afar for so long that actually getting to be with the girl that everyone wanted had her cowering away into the shadows.

Sooyoung was perfect. Too perfect for damaged second-rate goods like Seulgi.

Sooyoung had her life all set out, everything was in order, everything was meticulously organised and neat.  
She was going to skip some years and get ahead with her degree, graduate with full honours, do a masters, get a job, become a supervisor, then a manager, maybe even a CEO. She was going to travel to Bali before turning twenty four. She was going to work hard and play hard. She was going to go to Ibiza and Las Vegas at least once, three times if she liked it. She was going to try for modelling just for funsies as well. She was going to try her hand at writing a book. She was going to adopt a dog and call him Haetnim. She was going to fund as many dog shelters as humanly possible because she adored dogs and she would also take time to volunteer at dog pounds. She was going to marry someone before thirty and have three kids.

And Seulgi?

She was scraping by. No plan, no money, no stable job lined up. Hand-me down clothes, pots of paint, some brushes, several unfinished canvases, some easels and a second-hand patched-up Kia called Lala that she had bought from her summer job with a mechanic was all she had to her name.

What could Seulgi, who had nothing, give to someone like Sooyoung, who had everything?

"You're worrying too much, Kang."

Seulgi surfaced from the turmoil of her mind to come face to face with kind faces. Her friends had genuinely soft encouraging expressions and Seulgi realised they had heard all her thoughts come out of her mouth like word vomit.

"I know for a fact she doesn't care about what you can give her," Wendy spoke up, "Joy is that kind of girl to see you for you. She likes you for who you are, not for what you can give her that will benefit her. Surely you know that?"

"Yes of course but—"

"Joy unnie always talks about you," Yeri interrupted. "Oh my gosh did you see Seulgi's new painting? She's so wonderful!" she said in a poor attempt to mimic Joy's voice. "Did you know about her baby chick she had when she was little? Adorable, I wish I could tuck her up in bed myself! Oh no no, easy there with the spice! Don't you know? Seulgi doesn't like too much spicy gimbap! I wonder if she has eaten? Has anyone seen Seulgi? Do you think she's okay? Do you think I should text her? I should text her and check up on her. Have you seen her drunk? She gets so adorably clumsy when she's tipsy! Do you think she'd like some tteoboki I made? She must be awfully hungry, working all day on her painting. Did you see her Joker? She's an amazing painter, she's so talented. Waaahhh Seulgi is so hot in that jacket--"

"She thinks I'm hot?" Seulgi wondered out loud. She had been listening in a daze, unaware of just how much she actually featured in Joy's daily life.

"You're so clueless, Kang," Yeri rolled her eyes.

"Hey don't call her clueless, it's not nice," said a clipped voice. Seulgi swivelled around in her seat, startled to see Sooyoung had silently popped up out of nowhere, carrying a tray of lettuce.

"Hey there," Sooyoung said brightly. Her eyes were still bloodshot, but there was that dear smile that Seulgi had missed so much; since Joy had been dating on and off when she wasn't buried under tons of work, hanging around hadn't been such a common occurrence as Seulgi would have liked.

The braces had come off a long time ago but Joy was still the same girl that stole her heart back when they were thirteen.

"H-hi," Seulgi stammered out. "You uh...you okay?"

"Sure," Sooyoung dropped in the seat next to her and got to work on her salad. "So, why was Yeri calling you clueless for?"

"No reason," Irene said quickly, "Joy, I heard about...I'm so sorry. You two looked...good."

Joy shrugged. "Oh, Sungjae? Yeah, he was...okay. But I wasn't feeling it you know? It's been like that for a while now."

Seulgi raised an eyebrow. "Why stay then?" she blurted. The activity at their table stopped as the other girls shifted awkwardly.

Joy looked up and held her gaze. "I don't know myself," she admitted. "Maybe...I just didn't want to be lonely."

I'm right here, Seulgi shouted in her head. I'm right in front of you. You'll never be lonely again I swear I'll take such good care of you! You're worth far more than diamonds! I'll kiss your tears away and rub your shoulders and I'll learn to cook proper food for you too! I'll hold you and hug you and kiss you and you'll never ever feel lonely again, I promise!

What she said instead was: "Oh...okay."

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Wendy, Irene and Yeri hit their foreheads. Joy looked similarly disappointed but she simply nodded and turned back to her salad.

"Okay, I've had enough of staying quiet!" Wendy suddenly jumped to her feet, slamming her hands down on the table and startling the girls. "Joy, you've been dancing around her and giving her clues for a year. It won't work, Kang is thick as a brick. But I can confirm that yes, she likes you back. She has liked you back for a long time but she's scared and insecure. Work on that."

She heaved. "You may now kiss each other. Over and out." She grabbed her bag and sprinted out of the place in a blink.

The aftermath of Wendy's declaration wasn't half as bad as one might expect. Joy turned to Seulgi with a big smile. "You like me too?" she asked, thrilled as a kid on Christmas Day.

Still reeling from the revelation, Seulgi just nodded dazedly. "I...I guess? I liked you since uh...the day you transferred and uh...I think I fell in love with you when you came to my first art showcase at school even though it was raining so hard and you guys couldn't make it and my gran couldn't come but you still came in late and muddy and I was so happy and worried and—"

Joy stopped Seulgi's rambling in the sweetest way possible: she tugged the girl forward from her shirt's collar and locked their lips together, pressing gently and almost shyly against Seulgi's mouth.

Seulgi meanwhile felt like a volcano erupted in the pits of her stomach, flooding her with heat and blazing fire; she was burning in blissful ecstasy. She recovered her wits enough to kiss Joy back, the passion igniting her veins.

For so long, she had dreamed of kissing Joy and now, it was reality. She wanted to savour every second, fearful of forgetting. Her hands reached up to cup Joy's face, carefully tucking glossy strands behind her ears, eyelids fluttering shut in pure bliss at the sound of Joy's low moan when she tentatively sucked on her lower lip.

Nothing existed except for them: the hall, the people around them, their friends, their impending classes—everything melted away, until it was just the dark vast empty universe with two people realising their love for each other and falling together.

Both Seulgi and Joy smiled into the kiss, their lips detaching for a moment as their eyes opened and met, sated with love, only to flutter shut as their lips reconnected soon after, tender and unhurried. They had waited a long time for this moment to happen and now, there was no need to rush, all the puzzle pieces had fallen in place. Seulgi had never thought she would be able to fit so well with someone but Joy made it easy, Joy made it so obvious.

Joy made Seulgi feel like she finally belonged somewhere, and it was here, in this moment, in Joy's arms.

She really was clueless, waiting all this time to make a move.

"We'll figure this out, okay? This is real. You're not a second choice." Joy reassured, glimpsing the momentary flash of insecurity in Seulgi's eyes when they parted; she was all too aware of her friend's previous partners.

She intertwined their fingers together, determination in her steady voice. "I'm going to take care of you. Don't be afraid."

"I have nothing to give you," Seulgi said, her voice sad.

Joy's face twisted in pain. "Don't say that—"

"I have nothing," Seulgi repeated softly. "I can only promise you my devotion, my love, my loyalty and my time. I can only promise to give my heart entirely to you. And I hope you will take good care of it."

"Ah, I'm no good at poetics," Joy chuckled and it was a heavenly sound. She sobered up, turning serious as she held their clasped hands between them. "That is all I could ever possibly ask and need. I promise to take good care of your heart, the same way I trust you will care for mine."

She sealed her promise with a tender kiss to their joined hands and squeezed Seulgi's rough calloused hand tightly. Seulgi knew then that whatever awaited them in the future, they were going to face it together as one.

They leaned forward at the same time to kiss again but were promptly interrupted by a multitude of slow claps.

"Congratulations on your wedding. Wendy is gonna be so pissed she missed this," Irene drawled.

"I rate the poetic confession a 4.5 out of 5, bumped up thanks to Kang's part. It was truly moving and I take back what I said about you being clueless about romance. But the kissing is a bit meh, work on it," Yeri mused, "I've watched bad porn that had more convincing face eating than your kissing show."

"Get lost," Seulgi laughed, her heart light as Joy leaned close and pecked her on the cheek.

>>>>>>>

"Earth to Kang!"

Once more, Seulgi jolted out of her reverie. "Huh?"

"You girlfriend's calling." Wendy pointed at the buzzing phone.

Baby girl flashed on the screen and Seulgi all but pounced on it, eagerly swiping to accept the Facetime call. "Joy!"

"Hey Ddeulgi babe," Joy chirped on the other side.

"Ddeulgi? That's a new one."

"Oh, unnies are there too?" Joy asked and Seulgi lifted up the phone so the others could crowd around her to greet Joy. "Hi unnies! And Yeri."

"Your Ddeulgi's been pining for you. Please come back soon, she's driving me crazy!" Irene exclaimed.

"Yeah, she's going rabid, she's been chewing on anything within reach!" Wendy put in.

"Like a rabid hamster," Yeri snickered.

Seulgi merely shrugged. "What can I say? I miss having her in bed--"

"We don't wanna know!" Yeri and Wendy yelped, making Joy laugh.

"How's Tokyo?" Irene asked. "How's everything going? I hope you're eating well."

"Hey, I'm the girlfriend here, I'm supposed to ask those things!" Seulgi said indignantly.

"Oh shut it you baby, I'm the designated Mom of you hot messes, I'm allowed to ask before you," Irene scoffed.

"I thought you disowned me," Joy pointed out cheekily.

"I've temporarily removed your ban. So...tell us."

Joy laughed again, making Seulgi smile—she could listen to Joy's laugh on repeat.

The best laughter was when they woke up next to each other in the mornings. Joy would roll over her and whisper or tickle her, prompting Seulgi to tickle back. They laughed and loved a lot, going from strength to strength ever since they became official, which happened around a month after their confession.

Seulgi had insisted to give Joy time to get over Sungjae because in her books, a break-up was a break-up and needed to be dealt with respectfully with a grieving period included. Besides, as she reasoned, they had all the time in the world to enjoy together and date each other afterwards.

Although Joy understood and appreciated her thoughtfulness, it only made her more desperate to have Seulgi. Now three years down the line, they were practically married, as their friends could attest with faux disgust whenever they saw the lovey-dovey pair.

"Well it's been amazing! The food is delicious and the meetings were very productive, I'm so excited! Dad even let me take the floor and handle some of the addresses. I was a bit nervous at first but I think I did fine for a first time. Gosh, I can't wait to open my first venture aaaaaahhh!"

"That sounds amazing babe, I'm sure you blew them away," Seulgi put in proudly, "my girlfriend is the best of 'em."

Joy giggled shyly. "Ah well maybe not the best. There were lots of experienced foreign investors, they're kinda intimidating."

"What you lack in experience you more than make up for it with intuition, intelligence and verve," Seulgi reassured and winked. "You got this, Ms. Park. I believe in you."

Joy flushed a pretty pink, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "Thanks babe. I love you."

"I love you too. And I miss you!"

"Oh here we go with the litany again," Yeri groaned, secretly melting at the elder's show of affection. "Joy, where are you right now?"

"Back at the hotel. Aaaaaand look what Dad let me get as a present!"

Her girlfriend had graduated with full honours and was now studying for her master's thesis while working with her father's business. She had travelled with him to Japan on a long-promised business trip and by the looks of it, she was having the time of her life learning the ropes.

A small white Maltese dog came into the frame, stiff and uncertain when Joy moved the phone closer to him. "His name's Haetnim, translates to dear sun. Isn't he adorable? I was going to bring him with me to Seoul to live with us in our apartment! He's adorable and well...I hope that's okay. Seulgi?" she asked, her tone just a tiny bit uncertain. "He's gonna be living with us...I know I should have asked before but I was just so excited, I fell in love with him at first sight and his story is so sad, he was found on the road and—"

"So now I have to compete with a dog for your heart?" Seulgi's frown melted into a chuckle at Joy's perplexed expression. "Babe, you don't have to ask. Bring him, I can't wait to meet him either. You know I love dogs too. Just tell him to keep his paws off my artworks or we'll end up with a redecorated apartment."

"I will I will!" Joy sang happily. "You're the best! And don't worry, you're first place in my heart, always. I love you."

"First place and yet, you're letting that dog lick your face clean," Irene said, somewhat disgusted--she was very germphobic. "Eugghh, Joy, stop it! That thing is crawling with germs!"

"Babe I love you, but I really don't want to kiss you and taste dog spit when you get back," Seulgi added.

"Okay okay, I promise I won't kiss you if he kisses me," Joy winked making her girlfriend groan. "What, still not happy?"

"Only I get to kiss you!" Seulgi pouted.

"Someone's jealous," Yeri smirked, nudging Wendy who grinned back.

"Can you blame me? I haven't had my morning kiss today!" Seulgi exclaimed. Her friends shook their heads at her and started talking amongst themselves, leaving Seulgi to have some quality time with her girlfriend.

"So...what time you getting back Thursday?"

"It will be pretty late..."

"I could come fetch you."

"It's okay, Dad will give me a ride back," Joy said, snuggling Haetnim one last time before she directed her full attention to Seulgi. "I miss you Ddeulgi bear."

"I miss you too babe. But you should go have a nap, it must have been an exhausting day," she added when Joy failed to stifle a yawn.

"Mmm, I'm a bit tired yeah," Joy admitted. "I'll go sleep for a bit. Text me later?"

"Absolutely. Love you."

"Love you too."

They paused, dreading the next action.

"So...hang up on the count of three?" Seulgi asked nonchalantly. She smiled to see the challenge in Joy's eyes. They rarely ever hung up upon the end of countdown.

"Sure. 3....2...1."

None of them hung up.

"Babe you really should go sleep."

"Well then maybe you should hang up first then."

"But I can't," Seulgi protested.

"Well, I can't either," Joy grinned. "You gotta hang up first."

"No, you hang up."

"No, you hang up."

"No, you."

"No, you..."

They continued this back and forth until an impatient Yeri leaned over and ended the call for the both of them.

>>>>>>>>>

It looked like it was going to be a long night. Irene had checked in with her earlier, reminding Seulgi to eat the dumplings she had left for her in the fridge. But Seulgi was too busy to care about sustenance right now.

She chewed on the end of her brush, lost in thought in front of her canvas when two arms snaked around her waist, catching her by surprise as a familiar citrus scent filled the room, overpowering the smell of turpentine and paint.

"Hey," her girlfriend whispered, making Seulgi relax in her hold. "What's my baby doing still up?"

"Do you want the romantic excuse or the truth?"

Joy laughed next to her ear. "Romantic excuse, you sap."

"I couldn't sleep because I was missing you too much and I decided to stay up until you came back. Inspiration struck and I was busy assembling my medium before you came in."

"Hmm," Joy hummed as she nibbled at Seulgi's ear. "And the truth?"

"I'm running late on an assignment and my prof is gonna kill me," Seulgi answered grimly, "but the romantic excuse is still true! It's been...too long."

"Four days," Joy sighed in agreement.

"I was ready to go and fetch you there myself, I was going mad in here."

Laughter rumbled deep in her girlfriend's throat. "Mmm missed you too." Joy turned her around, holding her from the shoulders. "Where's my kiss then?" Her eyes gleamed in the warm orange light that illuminated Seulgi's workspace.

Seulgi smiled and stood on tiptoes to kiss Joy, their lips melding together as a sigh of relief escaped them both.

Being kiss-deprived for days on end after growing addicted to careless touches and caresses was bloody hard. Seulgi was itching to cup Joy's face but her hands were covered with paints and inks so she did what she could with her lips as she chased after Joy's tongue that was dancing and clashing with her own in a passionate tango.

"What are you painting then?" Joy asked once they parted from their steamy welcome makeout.

"It's for class. I thought about doing some figure poses....but it's hard without a good reference. Photos don't compare to the texture of actual flesh and I can't get the shadows right."

Seulgi frowned. She scratched her head then remembered her hand was covered in paint and she probably smelt awful but Joy still was not put off, making her thank the universe for the umpteenth time for giving her the chance to call Joy hers.

"Where's the little doggy by the way? Haetnim?" Seulgi looked all around them as though the small white dog she had seen on the phone was going to pop out of thin air.

"Left him with Dad till we set up stuff for him here and give him his check up with the vet." Joy stretched. "Tell you what, why don't I wash up and model for you? Draw me like one of your french girls, eh?" Her eyes had taken on a decidedly lustful glaze.

"Oh..." Seulgi gulped, her mind running wild already as she imagined Joy in various states of undress. Her mouth had suddenly run dry.

"So...you're not tired at all?" she croaked.

Joy smiled, pleased with the effect her words had on her girlfriend. "I had a nice nap in the afternoon, and another one on the plane coming back here. I feel plenty energised. Besides, I will only be posing right?" she added innocently. "That's not very energy expendable."

"Okay..."

Joy winked and turned away, swaying her hips for maximum effect. She was aware of Seulgi watching her intently as she disappeared into their bedroom then leisurely walked into the bathroom with just a towel in hand and no change of clothes.

Seulgi sank to the ground in front of the easel with a fixed smile, already contemplating whether it would be worth dragging herself out of bed in the morning to face her professor's wrath or think up some new excuse for an email apology. She busied herself with cleaning her brushes and then her hands, because her girlfriend seemed to be taking her time showering.

When Joy reappeared moments later wrapped in steam and her towel, with her glistening skin and luscious wet hair, Seulgi knew she was in trouble.

She picked up a paintbrush to salvage what dignity she had left, deftly brushing bold strokes on the canvas in her attempt to paint the goddess reclining before her as fast as possible. Joy watched her with a tiny smile, aware of the torture Seulgi was going through and enjoying it all immensely.

Then when Joy's heated gaze pierced her soul every time the painter looked up at her muse, Seulgi knew she had lost. Having Joy so close and unable to worship her fed Seulgi's desire until at one point she simply threw down her paintbrush and marched over to Joy. 

Painting be damned, she simply could not wait any longer.

"Took you long enough," Joy laughed as Seulgi dived in to capture her seductively plump lips.

It looked like it was going to be a long night, but Seulgi wasn't complaining.


End file.
